BROOKLYN, Mich. — Austin Dillon steps into a pressure situation this weekend as he fills in for injured driver Tony Stewart at Michigan International Speedway.

Dillon is used to pressure situations. He experienced a big one even before his racing career, which has included driving for his grandfather, Richard Childress, and wheeling a No. 3 car made famous by the legendary Dale Earnhardt.

Back in 2002, Dillon was in the spotlight in another sport — baseball. He competed in the Little League World Series as a member of the all-star team from the Southwest Forsyth (Clemmons, N.C.) Little League.

Dillon, 12 at the time, played second base and center field.

“Back then, when you’re a kid, you live life not worrying about everything and just thinking that there’s always going to be another day,” Dillon said.

“That was probably the only time in my childhood that I felt like this was an important deal in Little League.”

The 2013 Little League World Series began Thursday and as he prepared for this weekend's Sprint Cup race at Michigan, Dillon tweeted a photo Thursday of him at the 2002 LLWS.

Now 23 and a rising star in NASCAR, Dillon said his baseball team was well coached and he looks back on the experience with fond memories. It was a lesson, he said, for his racing career, which began taking priority when he was in high school.

“Playing team sports has helped me a lot being able to communicate and work with the guys,” said Dillon, who won the 2011 NASCAR Truck Series championship and currently leads the Nationwide Series standings. “A lot of drivers miss out on team sports, … and I think that has helped me in my racing career.”

It also helped him handle uncomfortable situations. He admitted he was nervous playing a New York team a year after Danny Almonte was exposed as having been too old when he played. He looked at his New York opponents and had to resist being intimidated.

“They had two twin brothers that had full beards and they were the size of my dad and we were having to go play against them,” Dillon said.

“That was probably the most nervous I had ever been. I remember getting as low as I could in the batter’s box and trying to take as many walks as I could the entire time.”

His team lost all three games it played in Williamsport but Dillon reflects on it as a good experience.

“The coolest part was being on ESPN, getting interviewed, going there,” Dillon said. “Anytime you get to Williamsport, that’s like a dream.

“Once we got there, we were kind of in awe the whole time we were there. But I tell you, we were so worn out from all the practices and the games.”

But there was some motivation to keep playing aside from just winning.

“It’s special,” Dillon said. “ It’s always a good time for a bunch of 12-year-olds, and you get to miss a little school, too.”